Endevours in Eating & Entertaining

Meal Plan – October 13th – October 19th

Saturday –Dinner: Fish Tacos, Cabbage Slaw, Mexican Sour Cream Rice, Salsa, & Margaritas – Yum! Tacos of any kind are always a win in our house, and since Carter liked the last round of tempura fish so much, I decided to try my luck with another. The Hatch chiles were on the spicy side this year, so the rice ended up with a little more kick than usual. I liked it, but Carter was not a fan. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

Monday – Dinner: Take-Out from Emperor’s Kitchen – This is quite simply the best Chinese restaurant in the area. Now, you could argue that I live in South–Eastern Wisconsin, and there probably aren’t 100,000 options for Chinese take-out, which wouldn’t be wrong, but my family and I have been ordering from here for years and haven’t had a bad meal yet. If you’re thinking of trying their Delafield or Brookfield location, I highly recommend their Egg Foo Young, or, at the very least, a side of the gravy to enjoy with your rice. Delish!

Tuesday – Dinner: Bacon–Wrapped Brined Shrimp with Jalapeño Lime Cabbage Slaw, and Mexican Sour Cream Rice – Totally accidental win and I’ll take it. I brined these shrimp for about an hour in Sweetwater Spice Company’s Smoked Habanero BBQ Bath Brine and then wrapped them in bacon before roasting in the oven. Need to work out the timing a bit, as I almost overcooked the shrimp trying to get the bacon crisp, but the flavor was fantastic. Even Carter gave me compliments.

Wednesday – Dinner: Shredded Beef Sandwiches with Sweet Potato Fries – These were great. I warmed the beef in its juices and then served on ciabatta rolls with mayo and cheese.

Thursday – Dinner: Maple – Dijon Chicken Thighs and Steamed Broccoli – This was good, and I’ll make it again, but do not skip the step of covering pan with foil. I’m still soaking my Pyrex to try to get the burned on mustard off of the pan. Ugh, no fun! It wasn’t the prettiest meal ever, so I’ll just show you the little man enjoying his dinner.

Friday – Dinner: Jalapeño Artichoke Dip, Veggies, and Bread – This wasn’t planned, but our real plan fell through, Jim worked extra late, and Carter and I were extra hungry, so we snacked for dinner. I love that this kid loves veggies for dinner. Have I told you he asks for broccoli? What 3 year old asks for broccoli?!?!? The dip was from Costco and quite delicious. Put it in the oven for a bit to get bubbly.

Other Cooking & Baking: Air-Popped Microwave Popcorn – Very cool technique. We had to nuke longer than the recipe said, but that could be for many reasons, but just kept hitting that “+30” button, and sure enough, we eventually had popcorn. Though, Jim added a healthy dose of butter and salt.